NYT: Biden Expected to Enter 2020 Race in April

Sources are telling the New York Times that the former vice president is expected to jump in the presidential primary next month and headquarter his campaign in Delaware or Philadelphia.

By NTK Staff | 03.07.2019 @9:23am

Former Vice President Joe Biden is “95 percent committed” to running for president in 2020, according to a New York Times report published Thursday.

Biden, who many consider would be the front runner should he decide to run, has led every national poll to date. His entry into the race could upend the entire primary, prompt some candidates to drop out and others to not enter at all, as evidenced by Michael Bloomberg’s decision not to run.

Yet, as Biden’s team carefully plots his next few weeks, one piece of the puzzle remains missing: Biden’s full-fledged commitment to run:

And in recent weeks, Mr. Biden’s strategist, Steve Ricchetti, has called a handful of would-be candidates and their aides to signal that the former vice president is likely to enter the race and of late has been telling Democrats that he’s 95 percent committed to running, according to officials directly familiar with the discussions.

Yet while Mr. Biden is plainly further along in preparing for a White House bid than he was four years ago, when he grudgingly deferred to Hillary Clinton after months of consideration in the aftermath of his son Beau’s death, there is still one crucial element that’s outstanding: full and final consent from the former vice president himself.

Last month, Biden told a Delaware audience that his family is encouraging him to run, and Thursday’s New York Times story indicated that his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, is “enthusiastically” supportive.

Should he decide to pull the trigger, Biden’s campaign headquarters would likely be in Delaware or Philadelphia, and his announcement would come in early April.